1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved garment hanger clamp for a garment bag, to hold hangers in place when the garment bag is in transit. In particular, the invention is a clamp of the type having a rigid C-shaped frame and a rotatable bar therein, with an eccentric protruding portion on the bar that can be rotated to bear against the lower leg of the C-shaped frame, and wherein the lower leg of the frame is inclined relative to horizontal.
2. Prior Art
The prior art includes many variations of garment bags and other pieces of luggage designed to retain hangers carrying garments. It is desirable that the garment stays on its hanger and that the hanger stays on the retainer, placed at one end of the garment bag. However, in practice, garments frequently slip off the hangers during transit, and the hangers slip off the usual simple retaining mechanisms provided in garment bags. Certain prior art retainers require a special type of hanger, for example having a pivotable hook end which can be rotated clear of a special retention mechanism, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,545,211--Platt. Clamps are also known for clothes hangers of the conventional type, i.e., having a body portion of wire, wood or plastic dimensioned to resemble a person's shoulders, and a central upper wire hook, to be placed over a closet bar or the like in normal use. Some form of catch or clamp engages with the hook of the hangers.
Notwithstanding special hanger structures and various clamps to engage hanger hooks and retain clothes hangers at one end of a garment bag, the hangers still have a way of coming loose. The hangers either fall free of their retainers or drop their garments due to displacement of the hangers in the garment bag. After a trip the user finds his or her garments wadded in the bottom of the garment bag.
Hanger retaining clamps have been proposed in a number of different structural arrangements, most frequently characterized by hingeably attached jaws. U.S. Pat. No. 3,566,456--London teaches clamping the vertical shank portion of hangers with jaws applied just below the hanger hooks. Two elongated jaws are hinged to one another on a vertical pivot axis, and a bail clip on one jaw is rotated around the distal end of the other jaw to clamp the hangers. Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 1,948,019--Ballentine. When these clamps are closed they keep the hangers from moving or dropping off the clamp. However, it can be quite difficult to manipulate hangers on and off the clamping mechanism. As a practical matter, such shank clamping devices are only openable when the garment hangers are all hanging from a closet bar. As a result the hooks of all the hangers must individually protrude from the garment bag.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,220 (and U.S. NO. Re. 31,075)--London et al., the hinging axis is rotated ninety degrees relative to London '456, such that one of the elongated jaw members is rigidly attached to the top of a garment bag and the other of the jaw members hinges up and down on a horizontal pivot axis. A bail-type clasp holds the jaws together on the hangers, at an uppermost point in the hanger hook rather than on the shank.
Inasmuch as the lower jaw of the London '220 clamp hinges up and down on a horizontal axis, a problem is encountered. When the lower jaw is released and allowed to fall, the hangers on the lower jaw fall off the clamp. A user can deal with this problem by taking care not to open the jaws unless the hangers are independently supported. According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,388--London et al., means are provided for limiting the maximum angle at which the jaws of such a clamp can be opened. Therefore, the lower jaw, which when opened slants downwardly from the pivot axis (up to 15 degrees), stays close to the upper jaw. A bail-type closure at the distal end of the jaws has enough span to extend across the opening between the jaws. ..The opening- allows room to move the hangers around before closing the clamp.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,618,058--Gregg and 4,640,414--Mobley et al., go a step further. Rather than clamp the hangers between a movable lower jaw and a stationary upper jaw fixed to the garment bag as in London '388 and the like, the Gregg and Mobley patents teach a stationary horizontal lower jaw and a movable upper jaw. The stationary jaw is the lower leg of a rigid C-shaped frame, whose upper leg is fixed to the garment bag. The movable upper jaw is an intermediate member between the top and bottom legs of the C-shaped frame, and hinges downwardly against the hangers on the lower frame leg (jaw). The jaws are forced together by pushing a pivoting locking member against the top leg of the frame rather than by pulling the jaws together with a bail. The pivoting locking member is hinged to the front, distal end of the intermediate movable jaw. The locking member has an eccentric portion that bears against the upper C-frame leg to force the intermediate jaw against the lower C frame leg, thereby clamping the hangers. A spring bias means can be included to urge the intermediate jaw open when the locking member is disengaged. Inasmuch as the lower jaw, which forms the primary support structure for the hangers, is immovable and horizontal, the hangers do not fall off the clamp when the jaws open. On the other hand, the arrangement has inherent drawbacks. In order to function as described, it is necessary to have three relatively movable parts and a spring, namely the rigid C-shaped frame, the intermediate jaw and the locking member, all of which are relatively movable, and a spring which biases the intermediate jaw upward to open. If a user omits the biasing spring, then gravity normally urges the intermediate jaw to close against the stationary lower jaw, whereby two hands are required in order to manipulate the locking clamp and make room for the hangers.
According to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 163,642 of Rino Mazzanti, filed Mar. 3, 1988 entitled "HANGER RETAINING CLAMP FOR GARMENT BAGS", a clamp for retaining hangers includes a rigid C-shaped frame with a lower leg for supporting hangers, but the part movable against the lower leg is an elongated eccentric bar in the plane of the frame rather than a hinged jaw with an additional locking member articulated thereto. The number of moving parts is reduced to a minimum, whiIe retaining beneficial features including the stationary C-frame with fixed lower member for supporting hangers. According to the Mazzanti invention, it is not necessary to spring bias a jaw member toward its open position. No relatively movable articulated locking tab is necessary. Mazzanti has abandoned the conventional technique of hingeably attaching jaw members by one end and providing means locking them together at their opposite end. In place of elongated hinged jaws as in the art, Mazzanti's eccentric clamping bar rotates on an axis in a plane including the lower leg of the C-frame such that an eccentric protrusion of the clamping bar is rotated downwardly toward the lower leg of the C-frame, whereupon the hangers are clamped. Upon rotating the clamping bar to move its eccentric upwardly, the lower leg of the C-frame is made fully accessible and will receive and support hangers.
The prior hanger clamps such as disclosed in the London, Mobley and Gregg patents are substantially improved by the Mazzanti invention wherein the movable clamping mechanism within the rigid C-shaped frame is an eccentric clamping bar instead of hinged elongated jaws. Nevertheless, like the prior art arrangements, the Mazzanti invention supports the hangers along a precisely horizontal support defined by the lower leg of the C-frame. It is presently preferred in connection with hanger clamps for garment bags that the horizontal span of the clamp be relatively short, for example about 3 cm. By orienting the lower frame leg at horizontal according to the art, there is relatively little vertical space in the clamp when opened, and the hangers must be placed relatively close to one another along the lower frame leg. The user, whose view of the clamp area may be obstructed, is prone to overlap the hangers and otherwise to entangle the hangers and the clamp. Individual hanger receptacle slots can be formed in the lower leg of the C-frame, but this does not entirely solve crowding problems. If a relatively large number of hangers (e.g. 8) are included in the short horizontal span (e.g. 3 cm), the individual hangers must be quite close together (0.375 cm or 0.15 inch). Frequently the hangers and/or garments are as thick as the allowed spacing between the hangers. The result is that the hangers are overcrowded and difficult to handle, with an added tendency for the hangers to be dropped from the clamp and/or for the garments to come off the hangers.
The present invention avoids these drawbacks in the horizontal lower frame member by inclining the lower frame member to incline downwardly towards its distal end. Preferably the rotation axis of the clamp bar is horizontal and thus the radial distance to the eccentric contact surface of the clamp bar increases proceeding toward the front of the clamp. At the front or distal end of the lower frame leg (i.e., at the extreme end of the clamp opening), there is a relatively large space defined between the lower frame leg and the rotatable clamp bar. Also by virtue of the inclined lower leg, hangers placed further back into the clamp are higher than the hangers residing toward the front. The hangers are relatively more spread out on the inclined lower leg of the C-frame, such that the user can see, feel and manipulate the hangers much more easily through the wide unobstructed front opening.
One consideration leading the prior art to change from a hinged leaf arrangement to a rigid frame was to avoid the situation wherein the lower member of a jaw-type clamp dropped downwardly when opened, thereby spilling the hangers from the clamp. Accordingly, the Mobley and Gregg patents specifically teach that the lower frame leg should be substantially non-inclined and horizontal. The present invention does not use conventional jaws at all, and moreover, the lower frame leg retains hangers notwithstanding the incline. A clamp pad or like structure on the lower leg has a plurality of individual hanger-receiving depressions. The individual depressions are deep enough that the hangers, normally of approximately 12 to 14 gauge wire, tend to remain in the individual depressions. It is presently preferred that the depth of the individual depressions in the resilient clamp pad be approximately half the diameter of the wire hangers expected to be received therein. The depth is preferably such that even the thinnest expected hanger extends somewhat above the edges of the respective depression in the resilient pad and thus comes into contact with the clamping bar. Accordingly, the wire of the hanger remains suitably clamped and captive.
As a result of the incline of the stationary lower frame leg, the rotatable clamping bar bearing down on the resilient clamping pad on said leg is made to have a substantially larger protruding eccentric portion adjacent the distal end of the C-frame legs. The span of the protrusion at the proximal end, namely at the back of the C-frame, is substantially the same as in the Mazzanti horizontal support clamp. Therefore, the user is provided with greater access and visibility with respect to the hangers. The hangers are positively clamped when the clamp is closed and do not readily spill off the lower frame member even when the clamp is open.